The Gunn High School community in Palo Alto is reeling again after a student apparently took his own life by stepping in front of a Caltrain on Monday night — the fourth campus student to do so in the past six months.

The latest death renewed a sense of shock and helplessness, and officials sought to limit the information disclosed amid concerns that publicity is contributing to the trend.

Palo Alto police Sgt. Dan Ryan would only say that a male victim was struck by a train at about 10:50 p.m. Monday, between the Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings in Palo Alto.

“We’re trying to avoid creating a greater cluster of these,” Ryan said. “The research we’re being told is that the more we talk about it and romanticize it, the easier it is that mentally ill or depressed people will make that leap. We’re taking a stand and not releasing more information.”

Kathleen Ruegsegger, administrative assistant for district Superintendent Kevin Skelly, also said there would be “no statement from the district or the school.”

Caltrain spokeswoman Christine Dunn did confirm a 16-year-old Gunn High School student was fatally struck by a southbound train.

Gunn Principal Noreen Likins sent out an e-mail to the school community Tuesday afternoon identifying the Gunn junior and mentioning the schools he attended over the years at Palo Alto Unified. She urged students who felt distraught to reach out to counselors on campus.

“We at school are all struggling to come to terms with this incomprehensible loss,” Likens wrote.

The Daily News is not naming the boy to respect the family’s request for privacy. Family members at his home Tuesday declined to comment, saying they don’t want more publicity.

In addition to Gunn counselors, Adolescent Counseling Services representatives, Kara grief support and other help available on campus, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation is offering free short-term counseling for teens affected by the suicides, foundation family medicine Dr. Meg Durbin said. The foundation will see teens whether or not they have insurance that covers behavioral health services, she said, and will not charge for those services. Families can call the foundation at 650-853-2904.

A community forum to discuss youth stress had already been scheduled for today. The Palo Alto PTA Council, along with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and Adolescent Counseling Services, are hosting the event, titled “A View of Youth Stress: Warning Signs and Coping Strategies From the Experts,” at the Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, in Palo Alto, beginning at 6:30 p.m. A panel discussion with mental health experts and middle and high school students will begin at 7 p.m.

Monday night’s death was the fourth apparent suicide by a Gunn student in the same area in the past six months. The deaths of a junior and senior in the spring have been classified as suicides by the Santa Clara County Coroner’s Office. The cause of death of an incoming freshman in August has not yet been officially determined. Ryan said he knows of “six to eight” more attempts that were prevented.

Suicide clusters among teens aren’t unique to any geographic or socio-economic boundaries. For instance, a rural county in Nebraska had nine teenage suicides in less than two years. Fourteen suicides were reported last year in a small town in Wales in the United Kingdom. And even in Santa Clara County, there were 32 suicides of people between the ages of 13 and 24 reported from January 2008 to August 2009. At the time, five were from Palo Alto, and 18 from San Jose.

On Tuesday morning, some students gathered in Gunn High School’s courtyard, crying and talking quietly. Some wrote messages such as, “All you need is love” in chalk in the ground. They declined to speak to reporters.

Ryan said police would be increasing patrols at the crossing, but he wasn’t yet sure by how much. Around 11 a.m. Tuesday, no police cars were visible near the Meadow Drive crossing.

Caltrain Deputy CEO Chuck Harvey said the agency is “working hard” with the mental health community to develop and continue an outreach program.

“What happened last night is an absolute tragedy,” Harvey said Tuesday. “And right now we’re focusing on completing the investigation. Our thoughts and our hearts and prayers go out to the victim and his family and his friends and all our first responders who are our secondary victims.”

Bay Area News Group staff writers Mark Gomez and Mike Rosenberg contributed to this report.

What you can do if a friend or family member is depressed:• Listen compassionately• Take the person seriously; don”t just say that “things will get better”• Don”t judge• Recognize your own limitations: Get help• Be direct: Talk openly about your concerns for the person”s emotional health• Contact professionals like a school psychologist, administrator, nurse or other agencies